Cooperative projects essential as funds shrink

Smokey Bear Ranger outlines plans to plan

Cooperative projects involving multiple jurisdictions will be essential for securing fuels reduction and watershed project money in the future, says the Smokey Bear District ranger.

Commission Chairman Jackie Powell said she is seeing money sources dry up and become harder to secure.

"From my perspective, overall the Forest Service may not be down in funds, but where we live in our national forest, we are, and that's indisputable," District Ranger Dave Warnack told commissioners at their meeting last month. "The fuels budget has gone down significantly. Concurrent with that, the budgets for projects in northern Arizona have gone up significantly, because they have a coordinated plan for addressing fuels problem. It's a big deal. A lot of money from other forests has gone to that, because they've been able to demonstrate a plan to work together in their communities that incorporates forestry and industry and conservation issues. That's what we need to do here, demonstrate we are able to work together and get things accomplished by working together."

His district of the Lincoln National Forest is involved with the South-central Mountain Resource Conservation and Development District in collaboration for work on Mescalero Apache tribal land, New Mexico State Trust land, Forest Service and Ruidoso village land, he said.

"It will use Forest Service grant funds to conduct thinning and prescribed burning on (all of those lands)," Warnack said.

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"Forest Service personnel, municipal fire personnel, volunteer fire departments, tribal departments and contractors all will be involved in the project. It requires (National Environmental Policy Act) analysis when federal money is used. We should have a pretty strong case for getting hazardous fuels projects around our community."

The multiple-jurisdiction project is important, "because we are able to demonstrate to people we can play well together in the sand box, while we also can build castles and get things done in that sand box," he said. "The more we can demonstrate that, the more money we will see."

"We have some good past history along those lines," Powell said, and later added that, "I know a lot of districts may not have what we have (in USFS cooperation). I appreciate it."

Warnack said the best way to showcase the cooperative effort would be to hone in on, reinvigorate and put some energy into the Greater Ruidoso Wildland-Urban Interface Working Group, that we have a diverse and robust working group, you can get some attention," Warnack said. "Attendance hasn't been what should be and previously was. It is a vehicle to bring multiple agencies together. We would welcome the county's help in reinvigorating that group and giving it a shot in the arm going forward."

Long-term planning

The staff of the Smokey Bear Ranger District staff hasn't tackled a 30-year management plan for that area of the Lincoln National Forest, but when they do, Warnack assured commissioners they would be an integral part of the process.

Commissioner Kathryn Minter said she received a call about the plan and noted that Powell previously inquired about the schedule. "When are you going to start on that?" Minter asked. "Will Lincoln County have a seat at the table?"

"We haven't started any 30-year plan, Warnack said. In December, staff focused on a five-year plan for restoration that will be used more as a budget tool.

"I'm not just talking about trees in woods, but abandoned mines and unmanaged recreation," he said. "I'd be happy to share that with you. Right now, it's being used more as a budget tool by our office and less as an implementation and work plan. You would be more than welcome to help with that. I think where the county will be instrumental and we will need your voices is when we begin with our forest plan revision. That document is one of most important things I work on in my career."

The forest plan the district works under today was written in 1986, he said. "And that's quite a lifespan for a guiding document," Warnack said. "If we anticipate the same thing for this new one we are doing, then we better be careful and put some real thought and planning into this document if it's going to be with us for 20 years."